Akihiko has short silver hair, gray eyes (hazel brown in Persona 3 The Movie), and wears a white band-aid above his left eye. Oddly enough, he still wears the bandage years later in Arena.

He wears a slightly modified school uniform of the Gekkoukan High School, where he replaces the standard jacket with a red sweater vest (long-sleveed for winter, short-sleeved for summer). Additionally, he wears black gloves. He is never seen without his gloves except during the trip to Yakushima while he is on the beach and briefly during the school field trip in Kyoto. In Persona 3 The Movie, he wears a different type of gloves.

His standard summer outfit consists of a red v-neck t-shirt and white pants.

His winter outfit is a white jacket and a red scarf and white pants.

During his flashback scene in The Answer which occurs sometime before the beginning of Persona 3, a much younger Akihiko is depicted, having softer facial features and a band-aid around his nose. He wears a red shirt under his white chemise and black pants.

In the upcoming Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, he retain his school uniform except he wears a red hoodie zipper jacket instead of sweater vest, and red and black sneakers. He also wears black headphones around his neck.

In the parallel universe anime spin-off Persona -trinity soul-, an older and more mature Akihiko is seen with slightly tanned skin and doesn't wear the band-aid above his left eye. He is seen wearing a black suit with a light brown collar shirt, red tie and black gloves.

In Persona 4 Arena, a 20 year-old Akihiko is seen. He has another band-aid on his right cheek, a cross shaped scar on the left side of his head, and stubble. He wears brown pants, and the left thigh of his pants is bandaged, while the right has several tears on it. He wears reddish brown mixed-martial arts gloves and a matching cape. He does not wear a shirt, and he seems to have been injured by a huge animal, as he has three scars on his chest, and a few scars on his arms as well. In addition, he carries a machete, a bottle of water, large knife and an Evoker with him.

In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, his casual attire is a light gray suit with a black collar shirt.

"I was too obsessed with power. Ever since I lost Miki, that's all I've cared about. I thought that if I was strong enough, I could protect anyone. But I was wrong... And now You're gone too... I'm such an idiot. In battle, there's always a chance of dying... I knew that! But I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice anything else! It didn't matter how tough I was! Look what happened!"

—Akihiko Sanada, Persona 3

A cool and well-respected upperclassman, Akihiko is serious and determined, as well as cracking small jokes on small occasions. Of all members of the group, he is the most prone to sarcasm, one instance being if the protagonist talks to him while he and Junpei are taking a break from studying for first semester midterms, stating that Junpei isn't studying for his exams as Mitsuru told everyone to go back to their routines. He tends to show his excitement for a big challenge, something that eventually rubs off on Junpei. He is eager to train and fight, often to a fault. Early on in the game, when he is injured due to a fight with one of the twelve full moon Shadows, he will repeatedly express interest in fighting despite being unable to. This draws criticism from Mitsuru, who views Akihiko's eagerness to fight as if he treats their work as a game. At one point, Yukari even accuses him of caring more about having a good fight than doing the right thing. However, Akihiko is a kind young man who will go out of his way to help someone, which is shown when he was willing to take any chance to save Fuuka from Tartarus despite having never met her before, even after Junpei and Yukari pointed out that she had been there for ten days (or ten hours from her perspective) and most likely couldn't have survived.

Akihiko also has an aggressive side, which he usually demonstrates when dealing with Shadows. He never gives up and always tries to get stronger in order to protect what is dear to him and feels guilty for not being able to save his sister, Miki, from the fire. As he puts it, he knows what it's like to feel powerless and he never wants to feel that way again, though this often results in him overworking himself due to feelings of self-doubt. Akihiko is also shown to be very smart, if not quite on Mitsuru's level, as he is consistently shown to get good grades and often picks up on things that Mitsuru misses, like giant Shadows appearing during the full moon and why Fuuka disappeared. He even tells the protagonist that a strong mind is just as important as a strong body.

He acts like an older brother for the younger S.E.E.S. members and especially in Persona 3 Portable if the player chooses to play as the female protagonist, Akihiko is shown to care a lot about her. This fits with his Arcana being the Emperor, which represents fathering and relates to leadership and decision-making skills. Akihiko is on good terms with Shinjiro and keeps in touch with him even after he quit SEES. He cares a lot for him, as shown when Akihiko finds out about the drugs Shinjiro uses in order to prevent his Persona from going berserk. However, their conversations are not always civil, as Akihiko will frequently try to convince Shinjiro to come back to S.E.E.S.. He even shows some mild hypocrisy by telling him he can't keep dwelling on the past, prompting Shinjiro to remind him that he isn't any different since he can't let go of his guilt over not being able to save his sister's life, and that it is in fact his precise reason for fighting. Indeed, much like Junpei, Akihiko sees S.E.E.S.'s activities as a form of escapism from his normal life, and so sometimes questions whether he really wants the Dark Hour gone.

While generally caring and straightforward, Akihiko can be quite abrasive at times, such as when he pretty much forces Shinjiro to come back to S.E.E.S. shortly after Ken joins the group. He also expresses deep distrust and hostility towards Metis in the early parts of The Answer, even more so than the rest of the party, as he fully expects her to turn on them again at any time and even suspects her of having an ulterior motive for protecting Aigis. He can be blunt and isn't above making a harsh comment to someone, even to a friend, a trait he shares with Mitsuru.

Akihiko ignoring his fangirls.

Akihiko is often depicted as aloof, and, in some cases, completely unaware of his fanbase of female students, who often follow him around school. He finds this irritating and will sometimes complain to the protagonist about it, saying they talk so much that they give him a headache. This is due to the fact that he is extremely shy and awkward when around girls, to the point that he is incapable of talking to any girl outside his teammates. This is especially shown in the female protagonist route, in which he becomes a Social Link. A character video late in the game shows him reading books in his room on how to talk to girls and trying (and failing) to rehearse a conversation without getting flustered. His awkwardness is probably best exemplified by talking to him in Tartarus when playing as a female protagonist in a romance with him. Akihiko is also frequently dragged into Junpei's various antics (usually against his will), where he, unlike his usual self, often starts to panic and completely lose his composure (mostly out of fear of Mitsuru's anger).

After Shinjiro's death, Akihiko is reminded what it's like to feel powerless, just like he had experienced with the death of his sister. Over Shinjiro's grave, he admits that he was a fool to believe that he could protect anyone if he was strong enough and that power was all he really cared about, to the point that it had become an obsession. It's then that he realizes that he can't keep blaming himself and decides to move towards the future, which triggers the evolution of his Persona. This resolution allows him to help Ken recover from his own breakdown, which was caused by him temporarily losing his reason for living e.g. vengeance for the death of his mother. Both become closer as a result of this event, and learn to accept the loss of the people they loved.

In The Answer, during the debate over what to do with the keys, Akihiko is in favor of the most logical choice; having long accepted that the dead are never coming back, he claims that the group have to live with the protagonist's death and accept the present. He believes that the protagonist died because he used all his power to protect everyone, and by tampering with the past, it would be disrespectful to his sacrifice. When Yukari expresses interest in going back to the past, Akihiko criticizes her for not having the strength to face reality, going so far as to say that even if there was a way to undo Shinjiro and Miki's death, he'd flat-out refuse. He believes firmly that nothing in the past was a waste, since all of it made the group who they are now. However, he admits to understanding Yukari's grief, saying it's a natural feeling for anyone, but nevertheless believes that if they saved the protagonist, they would be benefiting themselves rather than him. Above all, he knows what drastic consequences messing with the past can have, and believes it's simply too big of a risk to take. After the group defeat Erebus, however, he admits that he feels better now that he knows for certain what happened, saying it's like the "blinders have been removed."

Akihiko Sanada is the captain of the Gekkoukan High School boxing team and, along with Mitsuru Kirijo and Shinjiro Aragaki, one of the original members of SEES. He and Shinjiro grew up in an orphanage together with Akihiko's little sister, Miki, who died in a fire that destroyed the orphanage. Devastated by her death and feeling powerless that he could not save her, Akihiko vowed to become stronger. He took up boxing so he could learn how to fight, becoming a champion student boxer in the process.

Shinjiro and Akihiko remained friends after Miki's death. However, an incident occurred during an early SEES mission which put a strain on Akihiko and Shinjiro's relationship. Shinjiro's Persona went berserk while combating a Shadow, killing an innocent bystander (Ken Amada's mother) in the process. Feeling guilty, Shinjiro immediately left SEES. Akihiko used the incident as a springboard to focus even more on his strength and fighting the shadows. He began to criticize his friend for retreating when others needed his help. Throughout the game, Akihiko repeatedly tries to talk Shinjiro into joining SEES again. When Ken Amada joins the party, Akihiko, with the aid of the protagonist, forces Shinjiro to join.

During the events of the Strength and Fortune full moon battles, Akihiko is unsettled and distracted by the absence of Ken and Shinjiro. He later realizes the date: October 4, the day Shinjiro's persona killed Ken's mother. He leaves the others in search of Ken and Shinjiro, finding them both behind Port Island Station along with Strega member Takaya Sakaki, who has interrupted Shinjiro and Ken's conversation and intends to kill them both. He has already shot Shinjiro and was aiming to shoot Ken, but Shinjiro stops Takaya from killing Ken by taking another bullet despite knowing that Ken has made a vow to kill him to avenge his mother's death. Shinjiro's last words are a request that Akihiko take care of Ken, and he states that his death is how things should be.

Akihiko mourning Shinjiro at his memorial in the school auditorium.

Mourning the loss of his friend, Akihiko nonetheless finds himself amazed that Shinjiro could face death so bravely and vows to face difficulty head on. This resolution causes his Persona to evolve into into Caesar. He is one of the first to express his determination to fight Nyx, despite knowing she cannot be defeated.

Akihiko remains loyal to the protagonist and SEES until the end of Nyx's defeat. When the protagonist confronts Nyx's true form Death, Ken's voice is the first heard, worrying that there's nothing they can do. Akihiko's voice is then heard consoling Ken and SEES, saying that they can't give up and they must believe in him. On Graduation Day, Akihiko remembers the promise SEES made and runs to him on the roof.

Akihiko is a new Social Link if the player pursues the female protagonist's route, representing the Star Arcana. The Social Link is initiated by talking to him starting on May 25 with level 4 Charm or higher.

In this Social Link, Akihiko will express his desire to gain strength in order to protect others and concern for the well-being of the protagonist, who at earlier parts of the game he treats her as a little sister. As time passes, the player sees Akihiko as not just a "cool upperclassman" that many of the girls in school fawn over, but as a man who cannot cope with the darkness of his past and cannot socialize well with others because of it. He later on grows more anxious towards the female protagonist, to the point of asking her if there was any way for her to stop fighting.

The Social Link then freezes until after the events on October 4, where Akihiko admits that his treatment of the female protagonist, that is similar to the treatment of his deceased sister Miki, would be considered as opening up and sharing the burden with her. Thus his resolution to stop the Dark Hour now serves a different purpose: to protect the people he loves and cherishes, including the female protagonist.

At the end of the social link, Akihiko gives her a rabbit doll, stating that the doll is reminiscent of her and of his memories of a happier Miki, and finally comes to terms with his own past, at last looking forward to creating a better future. The rabbit doll grants the ability to fuse Helel, the lightbringer.

It is possible for the player to have a romantic relationship with him, though the player has to choose special dialogue choices that are scattered throughout certain ranks of his Social Link. If the player chooses all of the correct dialogue and has accepted the offer to be Akihiko's "girl" at Rank 9, the Lovers Route for this Arcana will be triggered.

Akihiko may also visit the female protagonist on the roof and he talks about how he fell in love with her. She closes her eyes and rests with Akihiko, possibly dying.[1]

Akihiko does not originally come to see the closing of the Dorm. He only arrives after Mitsuru calls him over, and he becomes trapped in the dorm with them.

At the end of Caina, a door to Akihiko's past reveals how he was recruited to SEES after a boxing match during his years as a middle school student. Mitsuru Kirijo approached him, revealing she knew he was experiencing "something" each midnight and she was in the same situation, except she knew more about it. Mitsuru presented him with a gun (an Evoker) and offered him a new way of fighting.

Persona 3 FES The Answer Boss Akihiko and Ken Colosseo Purgatorio

Akihiko and Ken boss fight.

During the debate over how to use the keys to the past or the present, Akihiko chooses the present with the support of Ken Amada. He believes that the protagonist died because he used all his powers to protect everyone, and by tampering with the past, it would be disrespectful to his sacrifice.

Akihiko helps the group defeat Erebus, the grand manifestation of humanity's grief and negative emotion.

After graduating from Gekkoukan High, Akihiko went to college. He decided, however, to perfect his punch and traveled the world in his pursuit of becoming stronger. Around that time, he had also become associated with Mitsuru's Shadow Operatives and is called upon to help retrieve Labrys in the TV world in Inaba. During the "tournament," he comes across Chie Satonaka and becomes impressed by her resolve to protect Labrys, though he has never seen her before and reminds him of his reasons for fighting. After the incident, Akihiko decides that he'll eventually, in the far future, leave the Shadow Operatives and become a police officer. Mitsuru tells him, however, he needs to go back to college so she assigns Aigis to help manage Akihiko. With a new resolve, Akihiko is determined to find the mastermind behind the incident and put an end to their plot.

Akihiko is the token boxer character with a special mechanic dubbed the Cyclone meter and boasts the second highest health in the game. Not only does Akihiko have a snappy offense and multiple ways to close the gap between him and his opponent, he also is blessed with Paralysis on some of his attacks and can ignore projectiles and some normals. He is also not as reliant on his Persona compared to other characters, thus Persona Breaks don't really affect him as much as others but they do provide him with whatever zoning tools he does have. All being said, he has no reliable option against opponents that like to fight at long range and is quite heavy, becoming something of double-edged sword. He's also an example of a Rekka style character, a character that links special moves with other special moves which also affects his Cyclone gauge. This increases the cyclone gauge by one (max of three) for every special move he cancels. This is important as it changes the properties of some of his follow-ups as well as give more damage, for example his Corkscrew follow-up becomes a wall-bounce at level 3. Thus it become imperative that players have his combos on point to take advantage of his moves as some of his most advanced combos on Fatal Counter can push around 7000 points of damage.

In Arena Ultimax, due to rarely having to rely on his Persona, Akihiko only has two Persona cards which can be considered a buff/nerf (Persona gets broken easier but recovers faster). His cyclone gauge is increased by two making it a maximum of 5. He has a new rekka move called the 'Sonic Uppercut' and his C attacks has been changed. His 5C is now was his 2C was in Persona 4 Arena and his new 2C is an Anti-Air attack that inflicts the ailment Silence upon hit. His B corkscrew now sends the enemy backwards upon contact while his A corkscrew generally remained the same. With the addition of Enhanced SP-skills, Akihiko's three specials have now increased in specialty.

Enhanced Thunder Fists now has a hitbox and if the enemy is not blocking they will be inflicted with shock

Enhanced Maziodyne now does extra damage and hits and inflicts shock even on block

Enhanced Cyclone Uppercut will make Akihiko do two uppercuts. If Akihiko's Cyclone gauge is at 5 then he will do three uppercuts for massive damage.

Akihiko's faces off against Yu Narukami. Though he puts up a tough fight and gets in several hits that would affect Yu later, Akihiko was ultimately defeated by Yu when he unleashes Izanagi. When the possessed Labrys attempts to crush Aigis' neck, both Akihiko and Mitsuru smash through a wall and hit her, releasing Aigis from her grasp.

A TV special in Persona 5 makes an allusion to Akihiko along with Katsuya Suou as "a legendary gumshoe who took down a bear" implying that after the events of Persona 4: Arena he became a police officer.[2]

Akihiko's Persona, Polydeuces, is a something of a giveaway towards his connection with Shinjiro if looked at in small depth. Polydeuces - other than being a celestial body - is another name for Pollux, who is one of the Gemini Twins with the other being Castor, the latter of whom is the Persona for Shinjiro, both of which share a similar physical stature, facial build, and focus on sheer strength.

This connection also gives away Shinjiro's fate; Polydeuces was immortal and Castor was not, and in their myth, Castor dies (in response, Polydeuces requests to share his immortality with Castor, which leads to the two brothers forming the Gemini Twins constellation).

Akihiko is left-handed, thus his fighting style represents a southpaw stance, but when using gloves the protagonist uses an orthodox style. He is also one of two Persona-users in the game who use his left hand when handling his Evoker (the other being Jin Shirato of Strega).

The Shirt of Chivalry, a type of costume for males in FES and P3P, is noted for the kanji symbols on their back that symbolizes the character. Akihiko's kanji means "Fight" (闘), a very fitting sign for his character.

One of the portraits in Persona 4 Arena is an edited version of the one used in Persona 3 Portable during All-Out Attacks and co-op attacks.

In The Answer, when the group is trying to see what is wrong with Aigis, Akihiko voice's turns into Mitsuru's voice, this only happens once and is fixed in the European release.

Some of Akihiko's early concept art bears a resemblance to Teddie from Persona 4.

According to Zen United, the European publisher of Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko's appearance in said game was originally going to be modeled after Jason Statham and how he looks in the Transporter movie series. Soejima was asked to redesign him to look more "wild or rugged" by Wada, the game's director, after they noticed that no other character in the roster would be able to fill that role.

In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko reveals that he learned how to summon his Persona without the aid of an Evoker. He still uses it when executing Maziodyne and his Instant Kill attack, Earth Breaker, however. He also uses his Evoker during his fight against "himself" in story mode.

In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko's Cyclone Uppercut attack is based on his critical hit animation from Persona 3.

In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko is the only male character (aside from Yu and Teddie) to have his weight a mystery like the female characters.

In Persona 4 Arena Akihiko mentioned possibly joining the police force, this may be an allusion to his role in Persona -trinity soul-.